1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rotary hubs, and more particularly, to rotary hubs designed for being operatively mounted to pulleys of machines to facilitate manual rotation of such pulleys.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
As is known in the fanning industry, combines are drivable machines utilized by farmers to harvest grain crops. The combine is generally designed to complete three processes in each pass of the machine over a field. In particular, crops from the field are gathered in the front of the combine, after which, grain from the gathered crop is separated from the stems/leaves, and following such separation, the stems/leaves are either chopped and spread on the field or baled for feed and bedding for livestock. The processes of gathering the crops and of discharging the stems/leaves involve the use of motor-operated pulley systems of the combine.
One problem to date with combines is that their front (collecting) ends commonly become plugged from “slugs.” A slug is generally the term used for crop parts that have gotten caught in the combine. Once these slugs become wedged in the combine front end, they are prevented from being passed through the combine. Consequently, this can have an adverse, and potentially catastrophic, effect on the motorized systems of the combine. In particular, the collected slugs can tie up the corresponding pulley systems at the combine front end, and unless the operator deactivates the combine and clears the front end, the tie up could potentially cause the combine motor to seize.
To that end, combines are often designed for dealing with clearing slugs from their front ends. In particular, the pulley system at the combine front end can be configured for being manually rotated in reverse so as to free the slugs or move the slugs outward so they can be removed from the front end. Such a system and technique are illustrated with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, the front feed accelerator pulley (referenced as 10 in FIG. 1) of the combine can be manually backed out through use of a slug removal tool (referenced as 20 in FIG. 2). As can be appreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2, the slug removal tool 20 has three legs 22, 22′, and 22″ on a distal end 24 thereof which will align with three corresponding slots 12, 14, and 16 in the hub 18 of the front feed pulley 10. As such, in engaging the tool 20 with the pulley's hub 18, and then in manually rotating the tool 20 (which in turn rotates the hub 18), the front feed accelerator pulley 10 can be made to turn backward so as to free or loosen the slugs from the front end of the combine.
However, this same type of problem (with regard to collecting slugs) is also be found to occur at the back (or discharging) ends of combines. This problem has been found to be particularly troublesome when harvesting wet crops, as the stems of such crops are more apt to wrap around and become wedged in the combine rear end, thereby preventing such from being passed there through. Unfortunately, the pulley systems of the combine back ends have differed in design from their front end counterparts. In particular, the primary pulley and hub design is not equipped to be manually rotated backward via the slug removal tool 20 or other relative means so as to unplug the combine back ends from slugs wedged therein. Consequently, operators have been drawn to use other less effective methods of freeing the slugs from combine back ends.
The present invention addresses these limitations and those of other similar designs.